Page 13 of Fire and Fate
The warriors cheer, raising their weapons in salute. Then they turn their horses and begin to ride away, disappearing one by one into the dense forest that marks the beginning of the Shadowlands. I watch them go, noting the two my father pointed out earlier.
If any of them succeed, it will likely be one of those two. But I do not intend to give them the chance.
The last of the warriors vanishes into the shadows, and my father claps his hands together with satisfaction. "Time to return to the castle!"
The announcement is abrupt and rather anticlimactic. The grand send-off complete, my father seems eager to return to the comfort and safety of his throne room. Nobles who came to watch begin moving toward their carriages, servants rushing to prepare horses, the entire procession starting the process of turning around for the journey home.
I’m disappointed that it’s so… brief, that there’s no real thought beside watching them disappear into the darkness, knowing that most, if not all, will not return or will die shortly after. My father gently taps my shoulder, offering me a soft smile that seems unlike him. “It is an amazing sight the first time, the hope that comes with watching them take on this new quest. Stay for a while, watch them. Drink that feeling in and then return to the castle so that you can start training to be the perfect queen. I can feel it. That this time someone will return with my riches.”
He squeezes my shoulder and then throws Solace a knowing look before heading back to his carriage, choosing to mount the horse instead of slipping inside.
I return my attention to the edge of Valoria, watching the space where the warriors disappeared, keeping my head up for what seems like an eternity as my father’s procession heads back the other way.
And then slowly, I fall to my knees into the grass, suddenly exhausted by the performance I have been maintaining all day. I feel Solace's presence before I see her move, the wolf nudging at my arm with her snout before settling beside me, her massive body curling around mine in a protective gesture.
What is the plan?Her voice echoes in my mind, and I can hear the mixture of apprehension and trust there.
I grin, feeling the thrill of rebellion and adventure singing in my blood. "I thought you would never ask."
Solace
Kaia runs her fingers through my fur, my entire body relaxing despite the tension of our situation.
"Everything is up to chance at this point," Kaia says, her voice thoughtful as she continues her rhythmic petting. "I am waiting for the guard who drove the carriage to visit some of the shops. He is one of the Betas who never really gets to leave the castle, and I overheard him mentioning how excited he was to have the opportunity to explore the tavern and the few establishments out here at the edge."
That is hardly enough time to do everything we need to do,I send through our newly discovered mindlink, concern threading through my mental voice.Even if he takes an hour, what do you think he will do when he notices we are gone? And we still donot know exactly where the Shadowlands begin or what we will encounter once we cross that threshold.
"I just need to grab my bags, unhook one of my horses, and take off," Kaia says with the kind of confidence that both inspires and terrifies me. "It will take five minutes at most. Ten if the straps are difficult."
Your father will kill that guard,I point out, unable to keep the worry from my thoughts.When he discovers that you disappeared on that Beta's watch, he will assume the guard was negligent or complicit. Either way, that man's life is forfeit.
Kaia's hand pauses in my fur, and I feel her stiffen slightly. Then she resumes her stroking, something calculating in her expression that tells me she has already considered this possibility. "No, he will not actually. That guard is going to go look for that dragon's head himself. I heard him talking about that too with one of the other servants last night when I was sneaking through the kitchens. He wants to bring the riches back home to his family. He has a wife and three children, and he is tired of watching Alphas get all the glory and opportunity while Betas like him serve in the background."
I process this information, turning it over in my mind. For as wild as Valoria’s princess can be, she is also very observant.So he will follow us into the Shadowlands on his own quest, and when your father discovers you are gone, the guard will be gone as well. Everyone will assume you slipped away while he was pursuing his own ambitions, not that he failed in his duty to watch over you.
"Exactly." The satisfaction in Kaia's voice makes me smile. "And if he succeeds, if he somehow manages to slay a dragon and bring back its head, then he will have earned his reward fairly. If he fails, well, at least he died chasing his own dream rather than being executed for a failure that was not truly his fault."
You have planned every last detail, have you not?I send the thought with a mixture of admiration and exasperation. My clever, brilliant, impossibly reckless princess has put serious thought into this. She has considered not just our escape but the ripple effects it will have on those around us, the ways her absence will be interpreted, and the cover stories that will naturally emerge to explain what happened.
Unfortunately, that is only the beginning of the journey.
Kaia sighs, the gust of air ruffling the fur on my head. "Except my father forcing you to stay like this. I did not plan for that. I did not anticipate that he would be suspicious enough to bind you in wolf form. And I am going to fix it, Sol. I swear to you, I will find a way to break his command."
I laugh, though it comes out as a huffing sound through my wolf's nose.I do not hate this form, you know. It has its advantages. Enhanced senses, greater speed, and natural weapons if we encounter threats. And I really like your hands in my fur. It feels wonderful, actually.
Kaia's fingers scratch lightly at the base of my skull, and I have to suppress a groan of pleasure. If I were still human, I would be blushing at how much I am enjoying this. There is something deeply satisfying about being petted, about the simple physical affection that requires no words or complex emotions. Just touch and warmth and the knowledge that I am cared for.
The only thing I will miss is being able to taste you,I add before I can stop myself, and I feel Kaia's surprise ripple through our connection.
She blushes beautifully, color flooding her cheeks as she ducks her head. The reaction is endearing, especially considering some of the things we did together just last night. But there is something about me stating it so bluntly through the mindlink that flusters her in a way physical intimacy does not.
After a moment, she sighs again and lifts her head to look toward the tavern. "We need to leave. If we stay any longer, the Beta might turn us in instead of following us for his own adventure. The longer we wait, the more likely someone will notice we are still here."
That promise you made me still stands,I remind her firmly, pushing myself up from her lap and stretching my wolf body, my muscles rippling beneath my fur.You listen to me, no questions asked. I am your protector first, your lover second. Once we cross into the Shadowlands, my word is law when it comes to your safety. Understood?
Kaia nods, her expression sobering as the reality of what we are about to do settles over both of us. "Understood. I trust you with my life, Sol. I always have."
She stands, brushing grass from her pants, and walks over to the carriage. Her horse stands in the traces, still hitched to the vehicle, waiting patiently for instructions. The other horse has already been unhitched by one of the staff and is grazing nearby, its reins trailing on the ground.
